November 8, 1992 56 pages Office, Editorial 985-2131 City blamed for allowing arts centre to deteriorate A VANCOUVER Theatre director says North Vancouver City is behaving worse than a slum landlord by allowing a public building — Presentation House arts centre — to “fall to rack and ruin.” The city has come under fire recently for ietting a number of private homes in the Lower Lons- dale area fall into disrepa Carolanne Fenz of Eighth Avenue Theatre Group said the city has deliberately allowed the 88-year-old building at 333 Ches- terfield Ave. to deteriorate because it believes Presentation House will eventually be turn down, She said counci inaction particularly unnerving because Presentation House is a public fa- cility. lis roof sags, temperatures in- side the building soar to in- tolerable levels during = summer months and fesks in Presentation House walls are causing electrical short-circuits, she said. Presentation House Gallery director Karen Love said buckets must be placed in the theatre lob- by to catch rain that leaks through the roof. Leaks in the gallery wall also affect the museum and archives one floor below, making it dif- ficult to carry on day-to-day programming. North Vancouver City Coun. Bill Bell. who sits on the Pres- entation House board, said the building’s entire roof needs fo be replaced. ‘ But he said that council is not willing to invest in a structure it feels will be demolished. “This is a classic example of the city letting its buildings run down,’’ said Bell, who has criti- cized the city for being “negligent and terrible landlord in connection with other city- owned properties in Lower Lons- dale. “To put it bluntly, the city has not, over the years, put enough money into Presentation House to keep the place up to snu ead it has put all the responsibil- ity on (the tenant) a non-profit organization (Presentation Heuse Cultural Society), and the cost of By Evelyn Jacob News Reporter repairing it is getting higher and higher.” Presentahon House is home to a 160-seat theatre, a photo gallery, a museum and archives and the offices of the North Va couver Community Arts Council. The Presentation House Cul- tural Soci rents the buiiding from the city for $f a year and receives support from all three North Shore municipalities. According 1:0 Bell, a report published over five years ago outlining the costs of bringing the arts cetire up to standard was except for a few minor saft issues, Never acted upon by coun- cil “And then they (s were done in the ch dd. Bell could noc remember what the cost of the proposed repairs would have been but noted it was quite 4 large sum."* The whole issue, he said, leaves the Presentation House board in a catch-22 position, because it does not know whether to sign a five- year lease only to see the building pulled down. He said the city must quickly band together with the North Shore Arts Commission to come up with a plan io revitalize Pres- entation House or find an alter- native site, “les really point. My own view is commission, the and district of North Vancouver to quickly come up with a posal to build a new facility, that would be the best route to go. The community cannot afford to lose such a vital centre." sues) reaching a if the the were pro- But Fenz worries that cotineil will not act quickly enough and the city will be left without a theatre. ARIAS RE EEO SCS TE LS EE TS index .33 voce eee AB BHigh Profiles ..........34 WMHigh Tech ............26 B Horoscope 43 BH Lifestyles oe. W Sports 000000. a | Weather Saturday & Sunday cloudy with showers. High 12°C. Low 4'C. Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement Number 0087238 SCOT Vintage Years: 27 Discover Saltspring special feature: 37 Display Advertising 980-0511 Classifieds 986-6222 Distribution 986-1337 a al a . . NEWS photo Cindy Goodman Mov e mayhem A MOVIE crew hit the beach at Ambleside Wednesday to film a staple Hollywood shot the much favored blow-up-the-car routine. Universal Productions of Canada was at the location to film for an ABC Movie of the Week. Catch Me If You Can features Roger Mocre, Malcolm McDowell and Jackson Davies.